The merchant district was ordinary. Functional. The specific energy of a city that had passed through a difficult period and had come out the other side and was in the process of resuming. She had seen this before — in her first life, in companies and organizations that had survived leadership crises. The way people moved when the worst was over and what remained was the work.
"The contract review," Petra said. "Tomorrow, third bell, trade commission offices."
"Yes," Elara said.
"The submission documentation," Dimitri said. He had the bag on the table in front of him. He had not put it down since they docked. "The collar charter. When."
"After the contract review," Elara said. "The review establishes our presence and legitimacy. After that, Liang Meridian has standing to make formal submissions to imperial administrative bodies." She paused. "We use the standing we build before we use it."
Dimitri looked at the bag.
Looked at Elara.
"It's been a year," he said.
